The North Kohala community is celebrating the acquisition of 27 acres of undeveloped coastal land in Halaula by the community non-profit Maika`i Kamakani `O Kohala. The property was purchased from owners Chad and Jennifer Davis for $1.3 million through a public-private partnership under the State Department of Land and Natural Resources Legacy Land Conservation Program. Supporters traveled to the site over a new, hand-cleared trail to celebrate the achievement, which community leader Fred Cachola said gives the land a chance to be what it wants to be.

“As you set foot on this land, and you walk around it, believe me, the land is rejoicing,” Cachola said. “The land is rejoicing, and let us not forget that, because this is what its
all about.”

A specific resource management plan will be formed through a stewardship planning process that will include the current active users. DLNR Director William Aila said the real hard work lies ahead.

“The challenge now is for everyone in the community to remain together,” Aila said. “To do whatever it takes to not leave the meetings until there is consensus, to put aside
all the individual wants and needs, to do what’s best for the land. The Maika`i organization envisions a landscape that among other things, protects the watershed, provides a habitat for native species, preserves open space, and produces a healthy, sustainable food source for Kohala. Content for this story was provided by Big Island Video News.